David Kemp overcame some serious disagreements with the tricky second last fence to finally break his seasonal duck at the Essex Farmers & Union Point-To-Point at a bitterly cold Marks Tey, near Colchester, on Sunday.

Kemp, from Kilverstone, near Thetford, looked set to get off the mark for 2013 in the opening Maiden Race only for his front-running mount, Zagmeister, to crumple on landing at the penultimate fence.

And for one horrible moment the same scenario seemed about to be played out in the Hunts Club Members Race as Kemp’s conveyance, Cheyanwe, stumbled after clearing precisely the same obstacle.

But Cheyanwe is more experienced than Zagmeister and this may have enabled her to regain her balance before staying on well up the final hill to beat Lady Ann Lewis, who was well ridden by 16-year-old Edward Twinn, from Pebmarsh, near Halstead.

Two more locally-based young pilots fought out the finish of the Novice Riders Race and it was Archie Wright, from Badlingham, near Newmarket, who got the better of Max Kendrick, from Assington, near Sudbury, just as he had at Higham seven days earlier.

This time the equine protagonists were Sheriff Hutton and New Alco. Sheriff Hutton’s four-length victory came as quite a shock to Wright and his owner-trainer father, Nick, as he had been so unruly before the race that he had unseated Archie on two separate occasions.

The first of these mishaps happened in the paddock, where Archie had to be checked over by the doctor having been kicked in the hip. The second was at the start, prompting father to suggest to son that their horse be withdrawn, only for the fearless 18-year-old rider to insist upon taking part.

A third East Anglian triumph came in the Ladies Open race when Ide No Idea, trained at Wymondham by Caroline Fryer, stayed on doughtily under Bridget Andrews to hold off Magic Sky by three lengths.

The hero of the rest of the card was jockey Zac Baker, who is based at the Buckinghamshire yard of Sarah Bosley. Baker had never ridden at Marks Tey before but his two mounts, El Jo in the Men’s Open for Bosley and Derryogue in the Maiden for Surrey trainer Michaela Tomlinson, both won to give him a first ever double.

Derryogue was the beneficiary of Zagmeister’s late tumble although Baker felt that his willing mount may have had enough left in the locker to overtake that rival.

The bookies suffered a blow in the Restricted Race (which boasted the afternoon’s biggest field of 14) as Goodnight Vienna, backed in from from 5-1 to 2-1 favouritism, registered a comfortable eight-length victory for Oxfordshire trainer Lynn Redman.

RESULTS

GOING: SOFT

Open Maiden
1- DERRYVOGUE  Zac Baker 20/1
2- Cooley’s Flyer  Bridget Andrews 6/4f
3- Harry Lever     Peter Mason

Time 6 mins 59 secs Dists: 6L, 6L      13 ran

PPORA Club Members’ ( Novice Riders )
1- SHERIFF HUTTON-  Archie Wright  3/1
2- New Alco                Max Kendrik  Evens f
3 -Arnold Layne          Lutfiye Akinci

Time 6-56     Dists: 4L, 10L            10 ran

Men’s Open
1- EL JO               Zac Baker  6/1
2- Whinstone Boy  Alex Vaughan-Jones
3- Ocean Fou         Richard Collinson

Time 6-51   Dists: 3L, Distance      6 ran  ( The Rodeo Clown Evens f   PU )

Restricted
1- GOODNIGHT VIENNA   Toby Betambeau  2/1f
2- Aleksandra Zofia             Tom McClorey
3- Dusky Lory                     Ian Bostock

Time 6-55   Dists: 8L, Head            14 ran

Ladies’ Open
1- IDE NO IDEA         Bridget Andrews Evens f
2- Magic Sky               Francesca Nimmo
3- King Du Berlais        Louise Allan

Time 6-54    Dists:3L, 5L                7 ran

Marks Tey Hunts Club Members’
1- CHEYANWE            David Kemp  1/2f
2- Lady Ann Lewis        Edward Twinn
3- Blazing King             Andrew Braithwaite

Time 7-11    Dists: 8L, Distance       5 ran